Dishoom's Bacon Naan Roll, London

The bacon naan roll doesn’t look like much but it is a great breakfast option. Dishoom does puts a London-spin on Indian food and the bacon naan roll is a winning way of how they have combined the two. Their take on the classic bacon sandwich is a naan, chargrilled bacon, chilli tomato jam and cream cheese. It is delicious treat. A hot and fluffy naan that gives some chew and salty grilled bacon that is balanced out with the sweetish jam and brighten with the coriander. And once you have chewed through your sandwich, you should then proceed to wash it down with their marsala chai.
  

Dishoom (Shoreditch)7 Boundary Street
London E2 7JE, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 20 7420 9324

This is the Song of India

The Song of India
33 Scotts Road
Tel: 6836-0055


foie gras

Milind Sovani has brought Indian food to another level. The former executive chef of Rang Mahal, which was famed for haute Indian cuisine and lobster tandoori, left that kitchen and started his own restaurant about nearly a year ago.

Song of India opened and the food critics sang its praises. Foodie friends alike spoke highly of the food and overlooked the patchy service for its food. I recently made my way there, and I echo their sentiments, the food is big on flavour and exhilarating but the service is no more than a vehicle to get plates to your table.

A spread from the tandoori menu is a must with the specially built tandooir kitchen in the restaurant. The salmon, lamb and chicken tandoori were chunky pieces of smoky, spicy and succulent meat that were seasoned for an end result of subtle taste. Foie gras, a ingredient that is rarely associated with Indian cuisine also makes an appearance on the menu. Solvani’s take on foie gras might almost seem sacrilegious—it is neither pan-fried for a crisp on the outside and 3 different texture effect nor transformed into a terrine, instead it is roughly chopped or mashed and seasoned. I nearly gawked at the plate, but after tasting it, it works and still tasted luxurious sliding down my throat, if anything it offers an interesting interpretation.

For the next part of our meal, we broke and dipped our various pieces of naan into bowls of a luxurious stew of lamb shanks, goan fish curry, chicken tikka masala and creamy black dhal. Order also the okra, which is like nothing I have tasted before. The okra is finely shredded, lightly spiced, deep-fried and then sprinkled with salt, a perfect contrast to the heavier and hearty bowls that were set before us.

We then finished off with the house chocolate cake (can’t remember the exact name), which was a tad too sweet for me, but a nice way to finish anyway.